.three.

-

"You need to change into your dry set of clothes before you come down with something. I can help you."

-

The entire time they were in the forest in Japan, Han spent his time expanding the boat they had arrived in. He had also made it stronger, with the help of Soohyun, who seemed to be good at everything he tried doing. The next morning, they packed the essentials. Some food, water, one change of clothes for each of them, and the portrait of Eun and Hak Soon to accompany them. Eunji was the one who was in charge of taking care of it. Her small fourteen year old frame made the portrait seemed bigger than it was as she held it securely to her chest. 

The last time they had been on that boat together, they only had themselves and the portrait. They had no food and water, and no fresh change of clothes in case they might need one. But they had each other and Han had made sure they would not starve. He had managed to catch fish for them, and the family had to eat them raw. Jinki had been forced to have some of Soon Deok's breast milk to keep himself fed for the day. He was three years old and still fragile as ever. Soon Deok didn't want him coming down with something. Han felt infinitely bad for the little boy, since he saw the way he seemed to crave the fish they were eating. But he could not have any due to his poor health.

Things were different now, but also the same. They were going back to civilization after fifteen years. Jinki was excited, yet nervous, to see other people for the first time. His siblings felt the same. Another human being that wasn't part of the family. They did not yet know, or understand, that there were people out there who might not want their well being. They had lived their entire lives with people who cared about them.

It would come as a culture shock to them if they were to run into someone who might want to hurt them. Someone who might not have their best interests in mind.

Heiran and Jinki sat next to each other on the boat, and the seventeen year old closed his eyes tightly. The movement of the boat, the sound of the ocean water, and the smell of the sea were sending his stomach churning. He closed his eyes to try to ignore his senses. His breakfast was already sitting in the back of his throat, begging to be released. Heiran noticed the way his skin had earned a greenish tint to it and a frown formed on her lips.

She linked arms with him and leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering reassurances to him. "Just try to endure it, okay Jin? Appa says it'll only be a few more hours."

They had left early in the morning, before the sun rise. Han thought it would be best, especially for Jinki because the waters became more violent at night. Then there were the winds that would violently shake their little boat if they delayed their departure any longer. 

Jinki nodded his head slowly and continuously tried to fight off his urge to vomit. It was a few hours, but he was able to handle it with Heiran by his side. Soon Deok had also gotten the idea to cover his entire body off with a blanket she had brought. That way he would not be able to see, hear, or smell the ocean so much if he was concealed beneath the blanket. Jinki and Heiran then sat on the floor of the boat and used the blanket to cover themselves. Han watched them with an unhappy look on his face, but said nothing to them. 

It was another few hours before his sickness passed and he and Heiran decided to get some fresh air. They sat back on the seats of the boat with Heiran closest to the edge. She had been playing with a bracelet around her wrist. Of the few things they each did to help earn some money to sustain the family, Soon Deok and the other girls picked fresh berries, while Soohyun had learned to make wooden toys, and Jinki was good at making bracelets out of string. Han would then take the items to the village and trade them or sell them. That was how he would get meat for the family whenever the traps he set in the forest with Soohyun didn't catch anything.

The first one he had made wasn't very good, but he remembered he was twelve years old when he made the bracelet and he gave it to Heiran. Jinki had made it from red string because Soon Deok had told them a legend about how red was the color of soulmates. It was so badly made that it was always falling apart. When Jinki finally got good at crafting, he had offered to make her a better one, but she refused, telling him that this one was more special because it came from his heart.

As she set her hand down on the edge of the boat, the bracelet caught on a snag and when she lifted her arm again, the bracelet came completely off. Heiran gasped as she felt a slight breeze hit and the bracelet went flying a few inches away in the water.

Jinki saw it too, and when he saw her reach for it, he grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Just leave it." He told her in a whisper. "I'll make you a new one when we get to Goryeo."

The others had not yet taken notice of what was happening. Han was busy rowing their boat with Soohyun's help. Eunji was fast asleep with their parents' portrait in her arms. Eunbi was watching the two men at the front rowing. Soon Deok and Ara were keeping each other distracted by braiding flowers into each other's hair. They had gone to pick flowers that morning before leaving, with the intention of having an activity to do for the next six hours while they waited. Han had happily informed that with him and Soohyun rowing, they would likely reach their destination in half the time.

Heiran refused with a shake of her head and tried to wrench her arm out of his grip. "I can just reach out and grab it. Also, it wouldn't be the same if you just gave me a new one. I want the one you gave me when we were children."

She was easily able to pull her arm out of his hold and she reached over the boat for her bracelet. But the waves kept pushing it further and further out of her reach. She leaned over a little more, Jinki watching her with worry, until she lost her balance and her hand holding her inside the boat slipped. In the next second, she fell overboard and there was a splash heard throughout the boat. Everyone looked in their direction to see Heiran in the water, splashing around frantically and Jinki had now shot up from his seat next to her.

He didn't even think about it. He pushed the blanket off his shoulders and without question moved to jump in and save her. 

Soon Deok was faster than him and pulled his arm back. He was frail and everyone was always stronger than him. "Don't." She warned, her eyes filled with worry. Not just for her daughter, but because she knew that if he jumped in to help her, there was a chance he would not make it out alive. "Let your father or Soohyun help her."

Jinki gave a firm shake of his head. "Let me help her, eomma. I would do anything for her."

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and jumped into the deep waters below. Heiran and Jinki knew how to swim. Soon Deok taught them one summer day when Jinki wasn't sick. They had both learned quickly. But it was one thing to swim in a lake where their feet could reach the floor and another to have to swim for safety in the middle of the ocean. The water was freezing and it made Jinki's body feel heavy and stiff immediately. He wasn't used to exerting his body so much or demanding so much from it.

He opened his eyes to see the boat now several feet away, and Heiran was still reaching in the opposite direction for that dreaded bracelet. 

"Heiran..." He called out to her, reaching a hand out.

But the waves were crashing against him and wouldn't allow him to see anything. In the next moment, he heard another splash of someone else jumping into the water. He could not tell who it was yet, until he saw them swim past him to get to Heiran. 

Soohyun.

His older brother reached her easily, just as she took the red bracelet in her hand. He easily grabbed her and started swimming back to the boat with the others, leaving his younger brother in the water. In the commotion of it all, Heiran didn't see that Jinki had gone in after her until Soohyun passed him again. That was when she started kicking frantically. Her screams were right next to the future king's ear.

"What are you doing?" She scolded him through her screams. "Don't help me! He shouldn't be in the water. He'll fall ill again. Help him!" 

She pointed to Jinki who was now trying to swim back to the boat feeling a failure. She was his love and how useless he felt upon seeing that Soohyun was once again the hero in all of it. Soohyun didn't even have to try and yet he was still better than Jinki. Jinki felt bitter as he swam back to the boat. But it seemed to be getting further and further away and he could not keep up. Soon, he started getting cramps in his arms and legs that was preventing him from swimming any faster.

Soohyun said nothing to Heiran and swam to the boat as fast as he could. He pushed her back onto the boat where Soon Deok and the other girls checked her for any injuries. 

When Soohyun turned back to go find his brother, he looked around everywhere and he could not find him. 

"Where's Jinki?" The twenty year old prince asked everyone on the boat.

Perhaps from their point of view they could see him better. Back on the boat, Heiran heard Soohyun's words and began to panic. She pushed past her mother and sisters, and peered over the edge of the boat into the ocean water below. Tears were streaming down her face endlessly when she found that she could not see him.

"Jinki!" She called into the water desperately. She now wanted to jump back in and look for him. But everyone on board assured her that Soohyun would find him.

"Calm down." Her mother tried to calm her. But her own heart was racing as well. Jinki was like her son and she didn't want anything bad happening to him. But she also thought about her sister Hak Soon. Hak Soon had always taken care of Jinki the most. When her sister passed away, Soon Deok promised that she would never let anything happen to those four children. Now she was failing in her promise.

Soohyun's eyes skimmed over the water, trying to find his brother, with Heiran's crying ringing in his ears. He found him when he saw bubbles emerging to the surface just a few feet off. He rushed over and found his brother just a bit below the water. Soohyun grabbed him with ease and threw him over his shoulder, swimming back to the safety of the boat. 

He pushed Jinki onto the boat first and then climbed back in. As soon as he was in the boat, Han started checking him for any injuries. He also used a move he had learned in the military to help save drowning victims. Heiran had rushed to his side and cried over him, her arms splayed over his unconscious body. Han had asked her several times to give them some space, but she refused to move until Soohyun had to force her to move. He had grabbed her by the waist and held her back, saying to her that Han would do everything to save Jinki.

"I want to be by his side." The sixteen year old cried.

Han continued trying until Jinki came back into consciousness and started coughing up water. Soohyun finally let go of Heiran and she once again hurried to his side, throwing her arms around him with relief. 

"I'm so glad you're okay." She buried her face into his neck.

She only pulled away when she felt him shivering. Behind her, Soon Deok came in and offered him the blanket they had earlier to keep him warm.

"I just wanted to help you." Jinki said to her weakly, his throat raw from all the sea water he ingested. He slowly drew his arms around her once more and held her close as she cried into his chest. 

When they pulled away once more, she tugged at the material of his gown. "You need to change into your dry set of clothes before you come down with something. I can help you." Her fingers gripped at his clothing, trying to get it off him.

Jinki went red in the face and stopped her by placing his hand on top of hers. 

"Its fine." He assured her. "I can do it myself."

Soon Deok touched her daughter's shoulder and pulled her away from him. "Yes, Heiran, let your brother do it himself." It was the second time Han had noticed it, and the first time Soon Deok was noticing it. What the two had between them was something that went further than two cousins who had grown up together. They seemed to truly and genuinely be attracted to each other. Han wasn't comfortable with it. Jinki was his brother's son, and Heiran was his daughter. 

Soon Deok wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it as well.

-

this chapter is a little bit longer than i intended it to be, but that's fine.

we had some drama, some little drama. once they get to goryeo there will be real family drama and royal drama. so please stay tuned for that.

thank you all loads for reading and supporting this story, just as you supported my wang eun story.  i have many plans for this. all fresh ideas. so please stick around. i think you all will like it.

thank you.

-clary